Using words
A huge hurdle that we have been working with Jack to overcome is that of using aggression and violence to cope with whatever he faces in day to day life. With Jack, anything from having a toy taken from him, to having a change take place in his routine that he wasn’t prepared for, to meeting a stranger (or even a familiar person that he wasn’t expecting) can evoke some sort of aggressive behaviour.
When Jack was a small child aggressive outbursts were easier to deal with and brush off as simple tantrums that all kids have. As he has grown older, the aggressive outbursts are much harder to deal with and a lot less simple to ignore. A child of nearly 6 years of age can cause an incredible amount of damage and hurt when upset and when violence is the only way he can manage to express himself.
As mentioned in an earlier post, roleplaying has been a strategy that we have used for a long time to practice alternative responses to aggression and violence. Picture cards are also something that we use regularly.
Recently we have been trying to teach Jack to “tell a grown up” when he feels angry, scared and frustrated (words that we have used with him to describe the feelings he has that make his body feel yucky). We are hoping that when he begins school next year, whatever about anything else he does, he will at least be able to ‘use words’ to seek help when he feels like his body is about to explode with anger and aggression. (And hopefully avoid some major fist fights and injured children and property in the process.)
October 15th, 2007 at 8:02 am
This is a difficult one.
You have to be really consistant.
Good luck!